Christmas!

We headed into my parents' on the coldest day we've had in forever.  It was -7 actual degrees (with a -30 wind chill), but we made it in fine.  We had a white Christmas, even if it was too cold for the kids to play outside for a few days.

Acorn was a big hit with everyone we saw, naturally.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

Gingerbread Fun

 On Sunday, Nathaniel's family came to visit.  They were treated to a mini performance:

The kids listened to Grandpa read The Night Before Christmas before opening presents.

And everyone enjoyed decorating gingerbread cookies:

I had never made gingerbread cookies before.  It turns out that I do like them, especially with a bit of cream cheese icing.

The kids weren't the only ones enjoying this activity.  Most of the adults made some, too.

And Willow and Acorn got to spend a bit of time together.

Bikes, Concerts, and Tiny Puppy

 As usual, it's a busy time of year.  We went ahead and gave Gyunay and Emry their Christmas presents early:

They have been busy riding a lot!  

We have also been treated to several performances by Malachi, including quartets and a solo.

Also, yesterday I took Malachi and Lydia to see the Nutcracker.  Lydia has a friend dancing in it, and the ballet was accompanied live by the orchestra.  It was a great performance.  Unfortunately, my foot did not agree:

Afterwards, we headed out to eat. 

And Lydia treated Acorn to a little performance at home:

Book Review - Honor's Refuge by Hallee Bridgeman

 

Honor's Refuge, by Hallee Bridgeman, is the third in a series.  I didn't read the first two, but this is a stand-alone novel, so I don't think that was a problem.  The passion of the protagonists to help victims of domestic violence was compelling.  I liked both Melissa and Phil as characters, although I thought Phil's hang-ups in not dating Melissa seemed to stretch a bit too long.  There is plenty of action in this book, and it kept me interested even though some parts strained credibility.  As a Catholic in a very active faith community, I found the characters' distinction between their church and Lola's Catholic relatives' lack of faith an eye-rolling bit on pages 236-7.  

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but several plot points seemed too far-fetched, particularly towards the end.  

I received this book from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own.

November Harvest Totals

 Eggs: 74

Pimento Peppers: 2

None of the chickens have laid an egg for several days now, so I don't imagine that December's totals will be very good, either.  Some of them are molting, and it is the lowest daylight point of the year, but we have always had some eggs, even now.  I'm hoping someone starts laying again soon.

More Happenings

 Besides the tiny puppy, we've enjoyed an orchestra concert:

They are really fantastic.  Malachi also played in a quartet and a quintet.  His teacher told me that he should apply for a music scholarship.

Also, at our church's fall festival, Gyunay enjoyed talking to Santa:

(Emry chose not to see Santa, but Gyunay was delighted.)

And there is still lots of puppy love around here:

Gyunay had Acorn sleeping in his lap while he watched the IU game with me.  

Acorn

 Something very tiny is big news around here:

Literally the size of a beanie baby, little Acorn has stolen hearts since her arrival at our house yesterday evening.

Lydia is in charge of this sweet bundle, and she has been taking her new responsibility seriously.  She has no shortage of helpers, though.

Acorn is about 6 weeks old, and she's part daushand part beagle.  I think the daushand must have been a mini one!  She's inquisitive and sweet.  Nathaniel bought a cat collar for her tiny neck.

I may have lost my mind in agreeing to a new puppy, but I can't say I regret it.  

October Harvest Totals

 Eggs - 188

sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano

All Hallow's Eve

 

The kids had a great time on Halloween trick or treating with many friends.

The night before, our trunk or treat at church had to move indoors, but the fun did not stop:

Falcon, Winnie the Pooh, and Maleficent had a lot of fun.

Lydia cajoled Nathaniel and I into dressing up, too.  We were (per her choice) characters from Phineas and Ferb.  I was Perry the Platypus and Nathaniel was Dr. Doofenshmertz.  The kids were thrilled and our friends were amused.

Field Trip

 First, here's a group shot of those of us who made it to the wedding:

Now, onto the field trip.  I haven't been able to take the kids many places this fall, which is a shame, because it's been particularly beautiful lately.  I can't manage the zoo yet, and to be honest, I haven't even managed a Walmart trip since July.  I'm just too easily tired.  However, our homeschool group planned a field trip to Salato Wild Life Center for this week, and I thought I could manage that.

Emry got to join us, since it was during his fall break.

Most of the time, this was my view, since the turtle tank was across from my bench:

But I did go out and walk some of the exhibits.  We took a friend and met several families there, so the kids had lots of people to stick with.

Gyunay was particularly interested in the turkey:

It does look a lot like Harry, albeit not as big.

So we made a successful field trip.  We learned about quail and saw bison.  We also had a picnic lunch accompanied by the inquisitive goose you saw at the top of the post.  And then I came home and watched Halloween Wars on the couch.  

Also, I had my filter removed Wednesday, so one less doctor to revisit now!